They're Not The Only Ones
by Isycat
Summary: Ron and Hermione constantly fight to cover up their true feelings, but the Fat Lady remembers another couple who were very similar. RW/HG and LE/JP.


**They're Not The Only Ones**

**Ron and Hermione constantly fight to cover up their true feelings, but the Fat Lady remembers another couple who were very similar. RW/HG and LE/JP.**

**I don't own anything...**

"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione shouted, causing the few remaining people left in the common room this late in the evening to look up in alarm. "I've told you before; you're not copying my homework."

"But Hermione," Ron's voice had a slightly desperate tone "I just want to peek, I'll be really quick."

"No. I warned you three days ago when Slughorn set it, but you didn't listen, do it yourself." Hermione's voice echoed shrilly around the room and Harry's head.

He had been hoping to use the time to finish off his Potions essay, but with Ron and Hermione's constant bickering he hadn't done half as much as he needed to.

After re-reading the same line in his Advanced Potions Textbook at least seven times and still not having any clue what it actually said, he decided he needed to take at break. He took his invisibility cloak out of his pocket, put his homework materials away, and headed out of the portrait hole.

Once he got into the corridor outside he realised he didn't have any idea where he actually wanted to go, he just needed to get away from them before his headache got any worse. He slumped down on the cool stone outside, partially hidden by the cloak, and sighed deeply.

"Are they doing your head in?" A feminine voice asked from his right, making him jump.

He turned and saw the Fat Lady looking over at him, an expectant expression on her face.

"Yes, I wish they'd stop arguing." He found it oddly relieving to talk to someone about how much they were annoying him, even if it was a portrait.

"You know," the Fat Lady said thoughtfully "they remind me of another couple who used to argue constantly- your mother and father."

Now she definitely had Harry's interest, he sat up eagerly, keen to hear what she had to say about them.

"I suppose the arguments started about 3rd year," The Fat Lady began, taking his interest as her queue to begin the story, "your father used to go out of his way to try and talk to your mother and this annoyed her a lot. They used to stand in the corridor shouting at each other, I remember one particular incident where James had charmed Lily's homework she had just spent the past 3 hours working on so it was completely illegible, that was quite a sight to see, it certainly attracted the attention of everyone in the surrounding area." The Fat Lady smiled fondly, as she thought back on the memory.

"Did my parents ever actually hex each other?" Harry wanted to know.

"Well, Lily used to hex James on a very regular basis, she used quite nasty charms too," The Fat Lady explained "but I don't think James ever did anything beyond changing her hair colour, I don't think he could bring himself to do it."

"I know she still hated him at the end of 5th year, but when did they first realised they liked each other?" Harry thought back to Snape's memory which he had seen last year- his first insight as to what his parents were like- where his mum had shouted at his dad, calling him an arrogant toerag, but his dad had asked her out, so clearly he had realised his feelings; even if he did go about it in completely the wrong way.

"Well, James had always had quite a lot of respect for Lily, so it had naturally evolved into a crush by about 3rd year I suppose. But when Lily realised it was a very sudden thing and I remember she shut herself away for days, her friends were all very concerned. She finally came out and told them she was so embarrassed for fancying James and then once they eventually got together it was the talk of Gryffindor for weeks."

Harry grinned, it was nice to hear his parent's story from someone who wasn't as emotionally involved as Sirius or Remus. Even though he was sad he'd never know his parents, it was nice to find out facts about their lives, and he found himself wanting to know everything he could about them.

"They remind me of your friends," the Fat Lady continued, almost absentmindedly "always arguing to hide the nature of their feelings, it will come out eventually," she sounded very wise at that moment.

Harry nodded, suddenly realising that he had been talking to the portrait for quite some time and so the common room would probably be empty and quiet by now.

"It was nice to talk to you," he felt obliged to be polite to the portrait he normally walked through daily without a second thought. "Thanks for telling me about my parents."

"You're welcome," The Fat Lady smiled "just try and bear with those two, and it'll all work out in the end."

Harry bid her good night and went back through into the Common Room.

Ron was the only person in there and he was hurriedly finishing his essay, muttering under his breath as he did so.

As he approached Ron he heard a few choice words which sounded like 'Hermione' 'unreasonable' 'unfair'.

"Hi," Harry wasn't sure if Ron had heard him come in and this caused Ron to stop grumbling and look up; a grumpy expression on his face. "How much more have you got to do?"

"Loads," Ron's face twisted into a grimace.

"What about you?" He asked as Harry got out his essay.

"Not too much more," Harry replied, hoping it was true and he could finish it quickly.

"Lucky you," Ron grumbled "I don't know why Hermione won't let me look at hers; it would just be so much easier y'know?"

Harry nodded non-committedly, not particularly wanting to be involved in another of Ron's rants about how irritating Hermione was.

They worked in silence for a few moments before Ron wondered "So where'd you go earlier?"

"Oh not far," Harry answered "I actually talked to the Fat Lady a bit."

"The Fat Lady?" Ron seemed very surprised. "Blimey Harry, what on earth did you talk to her about?"

"Oh my parents and some other things," Harry replied vaguely.

Ron snorted "I wouldn't believe her on anything; I mean did you hear what her and that painting of the girl with the crooked nose did to the portrait of the man with the really pointy hat? I can't imagine she'd know about anything."

Harry grinned slightly and replied "Oh you'd be surprised."

**I hope you like this .It just randomly came into my head that the Fat Lady has probably seen her fair share of drama and therefore has a few stories to tell. **

**I sort of imagine this as being around the time just before when Lavender and Ron go out, when Hermione and Ron argue constantly, but there might be some non-canon bits in it.**

**I've never particularly tried to write Harry, Ron and Hermione before so let me know what you think- was it believable/ accurate?**


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